The cave was utterly silent, like a pool of dead water; Brian Sutton could not sense even the slightest trace of life within. Yet, as soon as Jason Sutton finished speaking, it was as if a violent storm swept through the cave. A powerful aura surged out like a tempest, an invisible pressure and a whirlwind of blades and swords burst forth from within. Caught off guard, Brian Sutton was forced to retreat repeatedly. His chest felt blocked, and he nearly coughed up blood.

The cave master’s deep, resonant voice echoed in Brian Sutton’s ears: “Who is this? Why have you brought a stranger I’ve never seen before… Strange, who exactly have you brought? His cultivation is so weak—throughout the entire Primordial Era, I doubt there’s anyone weaker than him.”

“This is a newly ascended one. He’s only been here for three years. I met him on the road, received his help and escaped a calamity, so I brought him to this hidden valley,” Jason Sutton replied respectfully.

Hmm! The person inside the cave let out a surprised sound, then fell silent. But Brian Sutton noticed Jason Sutton’s lips moving, clearly communicating with the cave master through a secret voice transmission technique.

After a long while, a sigh came from within the cave: “I didn’t expect your master… Ah… You may come in.”

Chapter 9: The Hidden Valley Cultivator

Brian Sutton followed closely behind Jason Sutton, his demeanor calm as he stepped into the dark cave. The cave was not deep; its walls were smooth, and the floor was spotless—contrary to what Brian Sutton had imagined, it was not dirty at all. In fact, the cave was extremely clean.

With just a few steps, the cave master’s true form appeared before Brian Sutton. The man had long hair, bound with a long hairpin atop his head. His face was ancient and unadorned, the wrinkles on his face telling of his long existence. A wide gray robe wrapped his thin body, and his crossed knees were hidden beneath the faded hem.

Suspended from the cave ceiling above the man’s head was a perfectly round jade bead, as large as a goose egg, emitting a faint glow. Brian Sutton had seen such a thing in his world before ascending—it was a wall-dust pearl.

Within the cave, aside from the raised stone mound the man sat on, there was nothing else. It was as simple as could be. The life of a cultivator was simple and monotonous; everything unnecessary was omitted.

“Make yourself comfortable.” The cave master extended a hand from beneath his sleeve, gesturing to the empty space beside him. The hand quickly disappeared back into the wide sleeve, but Brian Sutton’s eyes flickered. In that brief instant, he had noticed that the hand was completely different from the cave master’s withered face—it was crystal clear, as if made of crystal, faintly glowing like jade, and even more slender and beautiful than a woman’s fingers.

At the invitation, Jason Sutton flicked his robe and sat cross-legged beside the cave master. He then turned to look at Brian Sutton, his gaze clearly saying, “Do as I do.”

Brian Sutton hesitated, glancing at the hard, empty ground, but after a moment’s thought, he sat down beside Jason Sutton as well.

“I hear you’re newly ascended?” The cave master suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them like a starburst, illuminating the cave as if it were broad daylight for a split second.

“Yes.”

The cave master regarded Brian Sutton with a strange look. Though there was no malice in his gaze, the prolonged scrutiny was uncomfortable. Fortunately, he finally looked away and sighed, “How many years has it been? In this cave, I’ve long since lost track of time. It’s been ages since I’ve heard of a new ascendant. Over the years, there have been fewer and fewer… But, few is still better than none.”

“Work hard. I see you have decent talent. The path of martial cultivation is not like the world you came from—there are no shortcuts. If you want to survive in this cruel world, only diligent cultivation will do… Of course, perhaps you don’t yet understand what I mean by ‘cruel,’ but that’s not important. After living here for a while, you’ll come to understand. There’s a spirit-gathering array here; cultivating here will yield twice the results with half the effort. You may as well stay for now.” With that, the cave master—whom Jason Sutton had called The Demon Slayer—closed his eyes again, sinking into meditation. The cave seemed to grow dimmer.

“Thank you, senior!” Jason Sutton, clearly no stranger to this place, thanked him and then turned to Brian Sutton: “Senior The Demon Slayer is always like this—whenever he has time, he meditates. It’s rare for him to even open his eyes when we visit. In fact, not just Senior The Demon Slayer, but many others are the same. After you’ve been here a while, you’ll understand—masters achieve greatness through years of accumulation.”

With that, Jason Sutton placed his hands on his knees, closed his eyes, and began meditating as well. A faint white mist emerged from his body, swirling around him.

From beginning to end, Brian Sutton had only spoken two words to The Demon Slayer, and the latter had ignored him ever since. This left Brian Sutton somewhat surprised and uncomfortable. Glancing at the meditating Jason Sutton, and with nothing else to do, Brian Sutton had no choice but to sit cross-legged as well.